


One of Us or Maybe Both

by EffieAgo



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies to reluctant allies to enemies to lovers, First Kiss, M/M, Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars, i guess, rako hardeen arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EffieAgo/pseuds/EffieAgo
Summary: Cad Bane didn't have to meet Rako Hardeen to know he disliked the man... and then he met him.
Relationships: Cad Bane/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 16
Kudos: 99
Collections: May the 4th Be With You Star Wars Fanworks Exchange 2020





	One of Us or Maybe Both

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shanlyrical](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanlyrical/gifts).



Cad Bane could have happily gone the rest of his life never having met Rako Hardeen in person. The man exuded unwarranted arrogance even in the few random holos Bane had seen, and the fact that he was from Concord Dawn made it even worse. The idea of anyone drawing comparisons between his friend Jango and that sloppy, unrefined upstart was enough to make him feel sick.

Then Hardeen somehow managed to kill a Jedi, and not just any Jedi, but General Kenobi of all people and from a distance, with his rifle. Bane’s disgust only increased.

When he finally met the guy, it was in the course of a job and his first impressions only justified his preconceived ideas. Hardeen was brash, obnoxious and an obvious liability. Okay, maybe he helped a little with their jailbreak, but not much. Moralo Eval might have been sold on the man immediately but while Bane stopped actively trying to get rid of Hardeen, he certainly wasn’t going to go easy on him.

It was little things that caused him to revise his opinion on the man. A reaction here, a comment there. Things that Hardeen probably thought his companions didn’t notice. Things Eval certainly didn’t notice, but Bane did. The human was more than just a skilled marksman. He was clever, far more than anyone realized, but he was pretending not to be. Now that was… interesting. No, Bane wasn’t _interested_ , that wasn’t the right word. It was simply odd. Curious. A puzzle of some kind. Hardeen, he had to admit, was reasonably attractive even with that stupid tattoo, but that didn’t factor into his changing feelings either. Obviously.

Those thoughts were on Bane’s mind as he wandered through the ship and suddenly found himself staring at the very bounty hunter in question. Hardeen sat on the floor, hunched over with his typical bad posture, cleaning a blaster and muttering to himself.

Bane found nothing appealing in the sight.

Yet he couldn’t force himself to keep moving, despite the fact that Hardeen was pointedly ignoring him. He leaned against the wall, trying his best to look casual. “So, you have plan for after all this?”

Hardeen looked up with a glare. “That’s none of your business.”

“Didn’t say it was.” Why was he even bothering? “But the Republic isn’t gonna stop looking for you. You’ll be at the top of their list until you finally drop dead one way or another. It won’t matter how big of a score you get this time or the next.”

The bounty hunter stopped what he was doing and slowly pulled himself upright. His expression was thoughtful, and his eyes met Bane’s. “I know.”

“So, you got a plan?” Before he could even consider what exactly he was doing, he found himself taking a step closer. Hardeen didn’t so much as flinch. He just kept staring at him with those strange blue eyes. It was absurd, but for some reason, in that moment, Bane wanted nothing more than to pull the man nearer and—

“I got the start of one anyway.”

“Maybe you could use some advice?” He went for vaguely menacing and thought he was pretty successful.

“Why do you care?” It came out as a snarl, but Hardeen still didn’t move away.

“I don’t. I just—” But before Bane could think of a reasonable justification for his interest, Hardeen closed the remaining distance between them in one smooth motion and then a mouth was on his. Bane had always found human lips rather off-putting, but there was something not terrible about Hardeen’s lips. And Hardeen’s tongue. And Hardeen’s fingers pressing almost painfully into his arm.

Then, just as suddenly he’d started, Hardeen pulled away. “I guess we got stuff to sort out with Eval, yeah?”

And they did, so Bane let him walk away. He wasn’t disappointed that nothing more had happened. Certainly not. He still didn’t like Hardeen. Besides, the human was right about it not being the right time. If they both managed to survive what was coming up, well, then Bane would have plenty of time to figure out just what it was about that man.

Kenobi. Because of course it was. Of course. The truth had been staring at him the whole time with those eerie blue eyes and he’d ignored it. He was angry. Furious. But there were more important things to worry about and there always would be, so he pushed all thoughts of Hardeen, no, _Kenobi,_ out of his mind.

Bane frowned as he pulled his hat a little lower. The suns were unrelenting. He didn’t particularly want to be where he was, but the last two and a half years of the new Empire had taken a toll on his business interests. He wasn't mourning the Republic or anything and there were ways to benefit from the new system, but there were risks too. There wasn’t a lot he could do about his immediate situation except to find somewhere he get a break from the heat. Finally, he found the building he was looking for and made his way inside. It was an unpleasant cantina on an even worse planet, but then no one liked Tatooine. Certainly not the locals and there were a few of them in the ill-lit room, from what Bane could see. He was just about to walk past them all without a second thought when one shabby hooded figure looked up at him.

 _“You.”_ Bane knew he sounded startled. It couldn’t be. Kenobi was dead. Gone with the rest of the Jedi.

“Bane,” the man said. He looked and sounded weary, but not particularly concerned.

Bane wondered for a moment if he’d somehow managed to get sunstroke just from walking from his ship and was hallucinating, when the expression on the other man shifted into a familiar half-smile. “Have I rendered you speechless? I’m flattered.” No, it was definitely actually Kenobi. “Why don’t you sit down?”

“I could turn you over to the Empire,” he finally managed. He could. He could also kill Kenobi himself, and hadn’t he been fantasizing about that very thing for years now? After all, there was no lightsaber in sight and the man was drinking at midday. This was hardly Kenobi as Bane had last encountered him.

“You could,” Kenobi agreed as he took a sip of his drink. Bane thought it looked like locally made liquor and noticed that there was a nearly full bottle on the table as well. “Will you?”

Bane didn’t answer. Instead, he sat down and waved over a Twi’lek waitress. She looked a little surprised. “What can I get you?”

“What about another cup?” He glanced at Kenobi as he spoke and only got a subtle nod and a polite hand motion in return, as if they were diplomats at an official luncheon. How he despised that man. “So, this was your plan?” Bane asked as he gestured at their surroundings. He didn’t actually think that Kenobi remembered their long-ago conversation, but he couldn’t resist.

“Believe it or not, this wasn't the plan.” There was sorrow in the man’s voice, but not bitterness. Strange.

Before he could press further, the waitress returned with another cup. To Bane’s annoyance, she lingered after setting it down. “Who’s your friend, Ben?”

Kenobi raised an eyebrow, but otherwise betrayed no emotion. “I’m not sure that’s quite the right term. Maybe old work acquaintance?”

“Cad Bane,” Bane said. Unlike Kenobi, he had no reason not to use his real name. Not out in the Rim, anyway.

“I see. I’m just glad you’re not alone for once. Where’d you two meet?”

Bane frowned. Why couldn’t she just leave?

Kenobi, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered. “Well, let’s see. Prison, wasn’t it?” He smiled as he said it and Bane felt his insides twist. The waitress seemed neither surprised nor alarmed by that statement, which Bane suspected was either a testament to the cantina itself, Kenobi’s behavior on previous visits or some combination of the two.

“We met before that.” Yes, he did want to kill Kenobi. But more than that, he wanted to push him up against the cantina wall and kiss him like the man wearing Hardeen’s face had kissed Bane. Rough and demanding and full of promise.

“You’re right, of course, but that was where we really connected, don't you think?” Kenobi had the nerve to smirk at him.

“We should’ve left you there.”

“Doubtlessly.” 

The woman was still watching them. “I’ll let you two catch up. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Tatooine?” Bane asked with disdain when they were finally alone again.

Kenobi shrugged. “It seemed as good of place as any.”

“That can’t be true.”

“I’m sure you understand that I don’t have a lot of options.”

Bane frowned. He knew he should leave. If he couldn’t go through with killing or capturing Kenobi, then he should just leave. Instead, he heard himself speaking. “I do well enough. Business is steady, most of the time. I could use some help now and again. Not easy to find, these days.”

Kenobi was staring at him in shock. The whole situation was almost worth it for that alone. “Are you offering me a job?”

“You need one, don’t you?” Bane scoffed. That much was clear, judging from the worn-out cloak and the cheap booze.

Kenobi seemed to come back to reality somewhat. “I can’t”

“Surely you’d be safer on the move than on this sandy, worthless—"

“Certainly,” Kenobi said with a sigh. “That doesn’t change the fact that I cannot accept your offer.”

So, despite everything the man was still Kenobi. Still a Jedi no matter what. Bane thought "Ben’" probably always would be, regardless of the name he was using. For some reason that bothered him less than it should. He pushed himself up. “Fine. Try not to shrivel away into nothing too soon.” Not that he cared. He didn’t.

But as the Duros stood, a hand grabbed his arm. “Wait.” Kenobi was looking at him with the oddest expression as got up as well. “I can’t go off world, but maybe you could stay a while longer.” The man’s cheeks, Bane realized, were pink.

He should leave, Bane told himself. He should just leave and forget all of this nonsense. Instead, he turned toward Kenobi. “My ship’s in hangar 6.”

“Even better. Want to go now?” For a brief moment, Kenobi’s lips were lightly brushing against his and then Kenobi’s hand was firmly gripping his wrist and soon they were making their way to the exit. It was all a complete mess and probably a mistake. Bane found he didn’t mind. Not in the slightest.


End file.
